Machine for sealing incandescent lamps.



No. 734,734. PATENTED JULY 28, 1903.v

F. R. MGBERTY & F. H. LOVERIDGE.

MACHINE FOR SEALING INCANDESCENT LAMPS.

APPLIUATION FILED Nov. 5. 1900.

4 SHEETS-SHBETI 1.

[avera' N0 MODEL.

rm: mums PETER! au wncwuwn. msuwsmu. u c

No. 734,734. PATENTED JULY 28, 1903.

' F. R. MoBERTY & F. H. LOVBRIDGE. MACHINE FOR SEALING INGAND-ESGENT LAMPS.

APPLIOATION FILED NOV. 5, 1900.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

H0 MODEL m: mums wzfzns cu, mormumou wusumcrcu a. r:

No. 734,734. PATENTED JULY 28, 1903.. F. R. MOBERTY & F. H. LOVEBIDGB. MACHINE FOR SEALING INCANDESGENT LAMPS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 5, 1900. QIQ

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

N0 MODEL.

c f w I I I; n 1 \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\N Nb. 734,734. PATENTED JULY 28, 1903.-

F. R. MOBERTY 8,: I. H. .LQVERIDGE. MACHINE FOR SEALING INGANDESGENT LAMPS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 5, 1900.

I 4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

N0 MODEL.

m; NORms vzmzs cp. PHDTQLITHO. wAsmNoToN a c.

No. 734,734. Patented July 28, 1903 f U UN TED Y STATES ATEN T OFF CE.

FRANK R. MCBERTY, or EVANSTON,"IAN DI REDERICK H. LovERIDcE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNORS TO THE WESTERN ELECTRIC COMPANY,

OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

MACHINE FOR SEALING INCANDESCENT LAMPS.

EPECIFICATION forming- ]oart of Letters Patent No. 734,734, dated July 28, 1903.

Application filed November 5,1900. $erial No. 35.540. (No model!) To aZZ whom it may concern: cand'escent lamp. Fig. 4: shows these parts Be it known that we, FRANK R. MOBERTY, united to form the complete lamp as accomresidingatEvanston,andFREDERICKIILOV plished by the machine illustrated. Fig. 5 BRIDGE, residingat Chicago, Cook county, is a front vertical sectional view on line 5 5 5 Illinois, citizens of the United States, have inof Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a similar View on line 6 6. vented acertain new and useful Improvement Fig. 7 is a plan View showing the manner in in Machines for Sealing Incandescent Lamps, which a large number-of caps are manipulated (Cases Nos. 92 and 20,) of which the followby the machine to bring one after another" ingis a full, clear, concise, and exact descripinto position to be fused upon the lamp-stem, lotion. I and Fig. Sis a detailviewof a mandrel which Ourinventi'on relates to the manufacture we employ to support the hollow glass stem of incandescent electric lamps of the kind while the cap is being sealed on.

at present in extensive use as signal-indica- Similar letters of reference are used to deslors fortelephone-switchboards.. In the manignate the same parts wherever they are r5 -ufacture of such lamps a hollow glass'stern shown.

is enlargedor expanded at a point a short Referring first to Figs. 3 and 4, the hollow distance from its tip and the two platinum glass stem a'is expanded or enlarged .at a a leading-in wires which carry the carbonshort distance below the tip. The two platiized filament are attached to the tip of the num leading-in wires 0. a, which carry the 20 stem and extend downward on the outside carbonized filament a are attached to the thereof past the expanded portion. A cap stemat' the tip and extend down the side or bulb substantially of the diameter of the thereof, resting upon the enlargement a. expanded portion of the stem is then fitted The cap b is cylindrical, the end being rounddown over the stem until the lower edge of ed, as shown. The inner'diameter of this 25 the cap embraces the expanded portion; cap is substantially the same as the diamwhereupon heat is applied at this point to eter of the enlargement or expanded porfuse the cap and stem together and, seal in. tion a of the stem. In order to form the inthe wires. In order that the two parts may caudescent lamp, the cap I) is fitted down be properly welded together, it is necessary over the stem at until the lower edge of the go to blowair into the hollow stem while the cap embraces the enlargement a, whereparts are heated, so that the enlarged portion upon the parts are heated until they fuse of the stem willexpand stillfurther and press together at this point, as shown in Fig. 4, itself firmly onto the inclosing cap. After air being blown through the hollow stem the lamp is formed, as above described, the to expand the portion ct thereof sufficiently 35 hollow stem may be attached to an air-pump so that a good weld will be formed. In and the air exhausted inthe usual way. the machineshown in the drawings for ma- The object of this invention is to produce nipulating these glass parts and welding a machine for performing quickly and acthem together a rotatable Chuck 0 is procurately the operation of sealing the cap to vided for holding the cap 5, said chuck being 0 the stem, whereby the incandescent lamps movable in a vertical plane, and a second 0 may be manufactured in larger quantities chuck d, rotating at the same speed as the with very little labor or expense. The ma other, is adapted to hold the stem (2. This chinewhichwehave constructed for this purlower chuck d preferably has no vertical posewill be described particularly by refermovement. Two glass-blowers fires e e are i once to the accompanying drawings, and that disposed one on either side of the lower chuck 5 which we regard as new will be pointed out and adjusted to direct their flames upon the in the appended claims. line where the cap and stem touch each other.

Figure l-isaside elevation of the machine. The upper chuck 0 consists of spring-jaws c Fig. 2 is a front view thereof. Fig. 3 shows 0', carried upon the lower end of a tube 0 50 the cap and stem which go to make up an inwhich is contained within a tubular shaft 0 10c The shaft is journaled to rotate ina head or stock f, which is bolted upon the upper portion of the standard g of the machine. The shaft 0 is mounted to rotate with but is longitudinally movable relatively to a gearwheel 0 which is mounted at the lower end of the head f, said gear-wheel being driven through an intermediate idler-gear h by a gear h, carried upon the vertical drivingshaft h. The shaft 0 has a slot 0 cut through its walls near its upper end, and through this slot a pin 0 is passed from a ring'c inclosing said shaft into the tube 0 The ring 0 is longitudinally movable upon the shaft 0 the pin 0 being adapted to slide up and down within the slot 0 The shaft 0 also carries a ring 0 rigidly fixed thereto, and a helical compression-springc encircles the shaft between the rings a and c tending to raise the inner tube a as far as the play allowed the 7 pin 0 within the slot 0 will permit. When the inner tube c is retracted within the shaft 0 as shown in Fig. 5, it will be seen that the jaws c c of the tube forming the clutch will be forced together. The clutch, in other words, is normally kept tightened by the spring 0 but is loosened when the ring a which is attached to the tube 0 is moved downward toward the ring 0 against the tension of the helical spring 0 'The shaft 0 is longitudinally movable within the head f, the downward movement of the shaft being limited by the engagement of the ring 0 with an abutment or shoulder f, formed in the head, and the upward movement of the shaft being limited by the ring 0 striking against a stop or abutment f formed in the upper portion of the framework. When the shaft 0 has as cended sufficiently for the ring a to strike this stop f the upward movement of the shaft may be continued against the tension of the spring 0 for a short distance until that portion of the shaft at the lower edge of the slot 0 strikes the pin 0 attached to the tube 0 When the shaft is thus raised as high as it will go, the clutch c is opened, since the pressure of the lower edge of said shaft upon the sloping spring-jaws c is removed a'ndthe jaws spring outward.

The lower chuck for holding the glass lampstems is made in a different way from the upper chuck c. This lower chuck is rotatable within the stock or head 7; and is driven, bya set of gear-wheels, from the driving-shaft hin the same manner as the upper chuck; but, unlike the upper chuck, it has no vertical movement. This lower chuck d has a hole in its upper portion just large enough to permit the lamp-stem a to be inserted therein. The interior of the chuck contains an annular piece of soft sponge-rubber d, and when the lamp-stem is inserted in the chuck the lower end of the lamp-stem is pushed into the soft-rubber annulus until the expanded portion a of the stem rests upon the tip of the chuck.

Meansare provided, which will presently be described, for admitting air tothe interior of the chuck, and the annulus of soft rubber prevents the passage of air through the chuck except through the bore of the tubular lampstem. The lower portion (1 of the chuck has a bore communicating with the upper portion thereof, which contains the soft-rubber annulus, and a stationary cylindrical tube 01 which is connected with a source of air-supply, fits closely into the bore of the lower portion of the chuck. This tube, while not revolving with the body of the chuck, is made to fit so closely within the bore thereof that it makes an air-tight joint, whereby air from the supply-tube 1 may be communicated to the interior of the chuck and thence to the hollow lamp-stem, which may be inserted therein.

In order that a good weld may be made between the lamp-cap and the stem, it is necessary that the glass be heated to .such a degree that it will flow easily, and in order to prevent'the lamp-stem from collapsing when so heated we provide a mandrel m in the interior of the chuck, over which the lamp-stem is fitted when it is inserted into the chuck, the mandrel passing into the bore of the stem. This mandrel is provided with grooves in its sidesthat is to say, it is not cylindrical in cross-section, but star-shapedso that air may be passed through the lamp-stem, by way of the grooves in the mandrel, withoutimpairing the efficiency of the mandrel as a support for the stem. A bracket is attached to the stop or head It, and the tube d is mounted upon this bracket, being secured thereto by a thumb-screw LP. The mandrel mis screwed into the body of the chuck'and may be inserted or removed at any time from underneath by first loosening the thumb-screw d and removing the tube d A pair of jaws Z Z are provided, which are.

adapted to grasp the soft-rubber air-supply pipe Z and flatten it together to cut off the flow of air. These jaws Z Z may be grasped by the operator and opened to any extent necessary, thus controlling the amount of air admitted to the chuck. A rocking arm n is pivotally connected, by a link it, with the upper part of the standard g or framework of the machine. The forward end of this lever carries pins 02 M, which engage with an annular channel c,.provided in the upper portion of the tubular shaft 0 Said shaft 0 while free to rotate, may thus be moved longitudinally up and down within the head f by means of the rocking lever n. Said rocking lever is connected, by means of a link a with an operating-1ever o, pivoted at o to the lower portion of the framework of the ma chine. The shaft 0 which carriesthe clutch 0, may thus be raised and lowered at will by raising and lowering the operating-lever 0.

The driving-shaft h, by which the two chucks c and d are rotated at the same speed, is connected, by means of a clutch 71 with a driving-wheel h, to which power is applied by means of a driving-belt. The clutch 71 is controlled by means of the treadle 71. whereby the rotation of the chucks may be started or stopped at will.

In the operation of the machine the lampstems a are placed in the chuck d by hand; but we have provided means whereby a large number of lamp-caps may be fed automaticallyinto theupper chuck without anymanual adjustment by the operator. We will now proceed to describethis automatic feeding mechanism. Acircular magazinep, having a number of notches p p in its periphery, is mounted to rotate in a horizontal plane at the top of the machine, said magazine having a number of vertical holes near its periphery, whichare adapted to contain the lamp-caps, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, 5, and

7. The holesin the magazine are sufficiently large so that the lamp-caps may move freely therein; but a circular glass plate 19 is provided immediately belowthe magazine, upon theupper surface of which the lamp-caps slide as the magazine is rotated, so that the lamp-caps are kept from falling out. The glass plate p is supported by an iron plate 19 of a strength suitable to support the weight.

A vertical tubular guide q is mounted in the framework of the machine immediately over the bore of the tube 0 The upper end of this guide opens immediately below a hole in the circularglass plate and its metallic support 19 When the magazine is rotated so that one of the capsis directly over this tubular guide q, it will be seen that the cap willfall through the hole in the glass plate and its support and thence through the .tubular guide and into the tubular chuck c ending in the jaws c c. On the under side of the magazine 1) there is provided a ratchetwheel pfihaving the same number of teeth as there are holes for caps in the magazine. A p p is mounted upon a bracket 0 attached to the framework of the machine. A lugn is provided on the rockingarinmwhich is adapted when the arm is raised to strike the pawl'p and cause the same to engage the a rotary reciprocating motion.

ratchet 10 whereby the pawl advances the ratchet-wheel through an are equal to the distance from one tooth of the ratchet to another. A spring-actuated trigger r engages the notches pp' in the peripheryof the magazine p and prevents the magazine from rotating except when it is advanced by the pawl and ratchet. A finger n is carried by the arm n and engages the trigger rj ust before the lug n strikes the pawl 12, so that the trigger r is movedclear of the notch in the periphery of the magazine and permits the magazine to be rotated. A swinging platform or stop sis provided for supporting the caps as they are fed into the upper chuck before said chuck is tightened. Said platforms is carried upon the lower end of the vertical shaft 8, which is mounted in bearings s", so as to becapable of The upper end of said shaft 8 isbent outward to form a crank and connected to a horizontal sliding rod 8 which is adapted to be reciprocated by a bell-crank lever 5 pivoted at s to the framework of the machine. One end of said bell-crank lever engages and moves the rod 8 while the other or horizontal arm thereof is pivoted to the lower end of a vertical reciprocating rod, 8 which extends upward through a hole in the operating-lever n and carries at its upper end a nuts", which is adapted to be engaged by the operating-lever when the latter is moved to its highest position. A spring .3 normally holds the bellcrank lever down in the position shown in Fig. 1, so that the rod .9 will occupyits rearward position and the vertical shaft 8 will be maintained in a position such that the platform .9 will be clear of the chuck. When the lever 01 is moved up, however, it engages the nut 3 carried by the vertical reciprocating rod 8 so that the bell-crank lever s is agency of the rod 8 the vertical shaft 3 is also rotated and the platform 3 is swung under the lower end of the shaft c -just as the said shaft reaches the end of its upward journey and an instant before the magazinedrops one of the caps into the tubular chuck. platform 8 thus serves to support the cap which has fallen into the chuck before said chuck is tightened. Upon the descent ofthe arm 72 after it has moved sufiiciently to tighten the chuck, but before the shaft 0 has made any downward movement, the vertical rod 8 will be retracted through the agency of the spring 8 sufficiently, so that through the intermediate lever mechanism the shaft 3 and the platforms, carried thereby, will be rotated so that the platform will be swung to one side clear of the chuck to permit the descent of said chuck without interference. A swinging trayt is also provided, which is adapted to be moved underneath the upper chuck a just as said chuck is loosened at the upper end of its journey, so that the lamp released from the chuck will fall into the tray. Mechanism is pro vided to swing the tray out again as the chuck descends and to dump the lamp from the tray into a box.

In the operation of the machine the magazine is first filled with caps, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, and a lamp-stem having the filament attached thereto is inserted by hand in the lower chuck d, being fitted down over the mandrel 172 until the bulb or enlarged portion a of the stem rests upon the upper surface of the chuck, in which position the lower end The 5 of the stem will be encircled by the soft-rubing movements take place: The tray t is swung in under the upper chuck. The ring 0 strikes against the stop f whereby as the shafts continues its upward movement the chuck c is loosened. The finger n strikes the trigger r and releases the magazine, so that it is free to rotate. The lug n then strikes the pawl 29, which pawl then engages the ratchet and rotates the magazine, and just before the magazine is rotated sufficiently to bring one of the caps over the hole in the glass plate the swinging platform .9 is moved under the lower end of the tubular chuck. Then finally the cap which has been moved over the hole in the glass plate falls through the tubular guide (1 into the tubular chuck until it is stopped by striking against the platform 3, which has been moved under the chuck to support it. The platform s is provided with aspring mounting, so-that the glass cap will be in no danger of breaking by the too sudden arresting of its fall. The operating-lever is now moved downward, and the first effect of this movement is to cause the clutch c to tighten upon the cap therein contained, as previously explained. As soon as the clutch has grasped the cap the platform sis swung to one side out of the downward path of the clutch. The trigger 1' has now again snapped into the notch 19 of the magazine, which is opposite it, preventing backward or other movement of the magazine. The operator now by pressing upon the treadle 71 starts thetwochucks to rotating together. When she has moved the operating-levero downward far enough so that the cap a is fitted over the stem which is contained in the lower chuck, she starts the operation of the fires, the points of the flames being directed upon the ring of contact of the cap and stem, whereby the two parts are heated sufficiently to fuse together. Now by manipulating the jaws Z Z, which control the air-supply pipe Z, she can admit air into the interior of the lower chuck until air passes up through the soft-rubber annulus and through the grooves in the mandrel m to the interior of the lamp-bulb which is being formed. This air-pressure expands the glass of the stem at the part a and presses the stem and cap firmly together, so that a perfect weld or seal is formed. The stem during its heated condition is supported by the mandrel m, as previously described. As soon as the cap and stem have been thoroughly sealed together the supply of gas to the flames is cut down and the parts allowed to cool. When the newly-formed lamp has cooled sufficiently, the operating-lever 0 is raised, and as the upper chuck o ascends the stem at is pulled out of the lower chuck. When the chuck c arrives at the upper end of its journey, the tray t is moved under the chuck, which is loosened, as previously explained, and the lamp is dumped into the tray. When the operating-lever 0 is moved down the next time, the tray is swung out to the right of the machine and the lamp dumped out into a box or other receptacle waiting to receive it. A complete cycle in the operation of the machine has now been traced.

In case obstructions, such as broken glassor dirt, should find their wayinto the lower chuck through the opening in the top thereof the tube oZ may be removed in a moment by unscrewing the thumb-screw d, whereupon the mandrel m may be unscrewed and taken out, the interior of the chuck being thus easily accessible. This feature is also useful in case the mandrel should need repairing. It will be observed also that the lower portion (1 of the lower chuck may be unscrewed, if desired, in order to obtain access to the inner chamber to renew or adjust the soft-rubber packing d',contained therein.

Having thus described our invention, we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, the following:

1. The combination with a chuck for holding a hollow glass stem, said chuck having a hole for the insertion of the stem, and an interior chamber into which the hole leads, means for supplying air under pressure to said chamber, and an annular packing of soft or yielding material, as rubber, disposed within said chamber at the mouth of the hole leading into the same, said annular packing being adapted to grasp and hold the inserted glass stem, and to prevent the air from escaping through said hole except through the bore of said stem, as set forth.

2. The combination with a chuck d for holding a hollow glass stem, of a second chuckin alinement with the first, adapted to hold a glass cap, mechanism for bringing the chucks nearer together to fit the cap upon the stem, mechanism for rotating the two chucks at the same speed, a fire for heating the cap and stem at their point of contact to seal them together, a source of air under pressure connected with the free end of the hollow stem,

and a mandrel in the chuck which holds the stem, said mandrel extending into the bore of the stem to support the same, but being adapted to permit the passage of air through the stern, substantially as set forth.

3. The combination with a chuck (1 having a bore adapted to hold a hollow glass stem, of a second chuck in alinement with the first, adapted to hold a glass cap, means for bringing the chucks together to fit the cap upon the stem, means for rotating the two chucks at the same speed, a fire for heating the cap and stem at their point of contact, to seal them together, and a mandrel in the firstmentioned chuck, extending through the bore of the chuck into the glass stem and adapted to support the stem while the same is softened by the heat, as set forth.

4. The combination with a vertical tubular chuck, of a lever for raising and lowering the same, driven gears for rotating the chuck, a plate above the chuck having an opening over the bore thereof, a magazine having holes adapted to hold a number of glass caps in a vertical position resting upon said plate, said magazine being movable to slide said caps along the plate and bring them one after another over the hole in said plate, through which holethe, caps may fall into the chuck, I

stem, a fire for heating the cap and stem at their point of contact, to seal them together, a magazine at the top of the machine holding a number of glass caps in a vertical position, and means for moving said magazine past the upper end of the tubular upper chuck, to drag the caps one after another into said chuck, substantially as set forth.

6. The combination with a chuck (1 having a hole adapted to receive a glass stem, a mandrel m adapted to be screwed into the interior of the chuck opposite the hole, extending up through the hole to form a support for the stem, but adapted to permit the passage of air through the stem, means for rotating the chuck, a stationary cylindrical tube d connected with a source of air under pressure, said tube fitting closely into the rotatable chuck, and a removable support for the tube, whereby the tube may be withdrawn from the chuck to permit access to the interior thereof, as set forth.

In Witness whereof We hereunto subscribe our names this 10th day of October, A. D. 1900. 35

FRANK R. MoBERTY. FREDERICK H. LOVERIDGE. Witnesses:

ELLA EDLER, ADELL HOOKETT. 

